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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28352889">deditionem</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/innsjovide/pseuds/innsjovide'>innsjovide</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: Legend of Korra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Character Study, Gen, Ghazan Character study, One Shot, Red Lotus (Avatar), post trying to capture korra, rated for language</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 21:09:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,252</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28352889</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/innsjovide/pseuds/innsjovide</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ghazan learns of his fate on the way to prison.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>deditionem</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>filling up random characer's tags one one shot at a time<br/>aka I wanted to write about my favorite villain in avatar.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Failure tasted like blood and burnt flesh, like your own tears. It smelled like rotting corpses of your enemies and your own body odor. And right now, in this very moment, it felt like a gentle rocking- the rhythmic push and pull of the waves tossing a prison transport ship from side to side.</p>
<p>	Ghazan had once gotten Ming-Hua to explain the basics of waterbending to him, not out of necessity or practicality but of sheer curiosity. Begrudgingly, she had explained to him the influence the moon had on the bending art, and how the two founding principals of waterbending- the push and the pull- were derived from how the moon interacted with the tides. Ghazan didn’t understand it at the time- the other bending arts seemed so complex with their spirituality and dependency on celestial bodies. Earth was simple- present and forceful, rigid yet malleable. He remembered patting his waterbender friend on the shoulder, laughing and saying something along the lines of, “Glad my element isn’t so weird, dirt’s just plain old dirt.”  What Ming-Hua had told him made a bit more sense now, perhaps because of his newfound proximity to the sea. It was a simple sense of duality- like chaos and order, light and dark. The world seemed to be full of dualities, orders so rigid they were sickening. It was always one or the other, with no regard to what lay in between. </p>
<p>	The earthbender lay on his back as the rhythmic rocking of the ship threatened to lull him to sleep. He was completely alone, stuck in a jail cell in a wooden watercraft, millions of miles away from anything. They had separated him from his team- his family- after they had surrendered. He didn’t know where they were taking him, or where they had taken his teammates. From the moment Zaheer had surrendered, all normalcy had been abandoned. </p>
<p>	The distant sound of approaching footsteps interrupted Ghazan’s thoughts. The sound of soft shoes on the wooden ship echoed slightly as whoever it was walked down the long corridor to the only holding cell on the craft. The person shared a brief conversation with the guards outside- they spoke in tones hushed just enough that Ghazan could hear them, but not make out the conversation- then entered. </p>
<p>	“Ghazan.” Tenzin greeted. It was clear who he was from the moment he spoke- he had a voice just like his father did, good for announcing things. Ghazan didn’t pay him any mind, just kept staring at the ceiling. From the corner of his eye, he could see the man sitting down across from him. </p>
<p>	“I’ve brought you something to eat.” The airbender continued, his voice devoid of emotion. Ghazan lifted his head slightly and glanced at Tenzin, noticing the small bowl he was carrying. </p>
<p>	“What?”  Ghazan asked. His voice was weak and harsh from dehydration. He glanced at the bowl, then back up to Tenzin. </p>
<p>	The airbender slid the bowl into a small opening at the bottom of the bars separating the two of them. Ghazan caught it before it could roll away- it held a soup of some sorts, a liquidy, murkish green substance that smelled like the ocean. </p>
<p>	Tenzin looked disappointed. “What, did you think we were going to starve you?”</p>
<p>	Ghazan shrugged. “Could be poisoned.” He hoped it wasn’t poisoned, he was so hungry it looked actually appetizing. </p>
<p>	“It’s not.” The airbender replied. </p>
<p>	Ghazan brought the bowl to his lips and drank from it, it wasn’t like he had anything to lose. It tasted disgusting- like seaweed and the worst parts of a fish. He drank it all at once. </p>
<p>	Tenzin did not leave as Ghazan shoved the bowl back to him. “What do you want?” The earthbender asked, his voice still strained. “Cause I doubt you came down here just to give me soup.” </p>
<p>	The airbender hesitated. “I suppose you want to know where we’re headed and what’s in store for you?”</p>
<p>	Ghazan forced a laugh. “Yeah, sure. Just tell me when the execution date is- will I get a final meal or will I be stuck with your gross fish stew for the remainder of my time on earth?”</p>
<p>	Tenzin hesitated again. “Actually,” the airbender said, “You, nor any of your group members, will be executed.”</p>
<p>	Ghazan’s eyes widened. He wasn’t expecting that news, and it frightened him. If they weren’t going to be killed, it meant that whatever they had planned was worse.</p>
<p>	“You’ll simply be imprisoned.” Tenzin continued. “Chief Sokka has designed maximum security prisons, each designed to restrict your respective abilities. Yours-” Tenzin referred to him with a striking disdain- “Is a barge made entirely of wood, miles away from the coastline, not too different from this craft. In fact, it’s where we’re headed to now.”</p>
<p>	“What no trial? Nothing?” Ghazan stammered- losing what self-restraint he had left. “Just gonna lock us up straight away- your justice system really is shit.”</p>
<p>	Tenzin was quicker to respond than before, his voice rising in volume and pitch as he grew angrier. “You tried to kidnap the avatar- the four-year-old, recently discovered child avatar for spirits know what and you’re expecting a fair trial? A lawyer? You directly surrendered to us there’s no question if you’re guilty or not- you literally turned yourselves in!” </p>
<p>	Ghazan frowned. “You of all people should know that there isn’t supposed to be an exception to that sort of thing. You’re a lawman, know your fucking law.”</p>
<p>	“You’re an anarchist.” The airbender spat. “What makes you an expert on the jury system.”</p>
<p>	“Look maybe if your government worked in any capacity we wouldn’t need to be anarchists. But it doesn’t, and never has. You’re just taking away more and more people’s rights because that’s all you ever do.”</p>
<p>	Tenzin collected himself, he assumed a meditative stance and closed his eyes and did a breathing exercise. The man visibly calmed in seconds. “Look, you don’t get a choice in this. We’re imprisoning you so we might be able to figure out why you tried to capture Korra.”</p>
<p>	“Good luck with that.” Ghazan smirked. </p>
<p>	Tenzin shot him a glare before continuing. “And we won’t stop until we get answers.”</p>
<p>	“Then what?” Ghazan asked.</p>
<p>	“What?”</p>
<p>	“What then? Say we give you answers, anything you want to know- do we go free?”</p>
<p>	“Of course not! You’re extremely dangerous criminals, we can’t just let you walk free.”</p>
<p>	“So you’re just gonna let us rot in jail, even if we do what want. Cool, cool. And what happens when we don’t tell you anything?” </p>
<p>	Tenzin frowned. “You’ll be staying in jail until you die.”</p>
<p>	Ghazan could feel his own anger rising up inside him. “And you have the fucking pride and ignorance to call yourselves just? To say that what you’re doing is right?” </p>
<p>	“You are not innocent, Ghazan!” Tenzin yelled, rising to his full height. “You’re a danger to society and structure and peace.” </p>
<p>	Ghazan followed Tenzin’s cue and stood up. He was taller than the airbender, but only by a few inches. Ghazan leaned close to the bars separating them, making sure Tenzin could see his face in the low light of the cell. “Things like society and structure have to change in order for the world to evolve!” He said, “Think someone like you would understand that.”</p>
<p>	Tenzin straightened his posture and adjusted his robe, then took a few steps back. “I’’m looking forward to our arrival at your prison.” He stated, reassuming his calm, cold demeanor. “And never seeing your face again.”</p>
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